“It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.” ― Robert E. Lee
If war were not Hell, it would be a Heaven. Fighting for what you believe in is the essence of what makes life worth living and if the collateral damage were not so heartbreaking, it could easily become addictive. For some sorry souls, in fact, it does.
“The war is not meant to be won. It is meant to be continuous." — George Orwell, 1984
Whether from the profits to be earned or from the blood lust to be satiated, there is always some reason for someone to want to go to war.
James 4:1-2
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
There are always sinful opportunities to want to go to war. But that also means that there are also always faithful opportunities to fight back against that sinful impulse. There is a way of escape provided by God should we take it. That path is often paved with warfare.
"Every baptized churchman is by his profession a soldier of Jesus Christ, and is pledged to fight under His banner against sin, the world and the devil... Christian warfare is a great reality and a subject of vast importance... Necessity is laid upon us. We must fight. Where there is grace there will be conflict. The believer is a soldier. There is no holiness without a warfare. Saved souls will always be found to have fought a fight. It is a fight of absolute necessity. Let us not think that in this war we can remain neutral and sit still. Such a line of action may be possible in the strife of nations, but it is utterly impossible in that conflict which concerns the soul. The boasted policy of non–interference, the 'masterly inactivity' which pleases so many statesmen, the plan of keeping quiet and letting things alone—all this will never do in the Christian warfare. Here at any rate no one can escape serving under the plea that he is 'a man of peace.' To be at peace with the world, the flesh and the devil, is to be at enmity with God and in the broad way that leads to destruction. We have no choice or option. We must either fight or be lost." — J.C. Ryle, Holiness
If you do not fight, you cannot win. If you will not fight, you will be defeated by those that will.
“The full value of this life can only be got by fighting; the violent take it by storm. And if we have accepted everything we have missed something – war. This life of ours is a very enjoyable fight, but a very miserable truce.” — G.K. Chesterton
Compromise is for cowards. Standing for something and fighting for it are the élan vital. The essence of life is fighting to stay alive and for what's worth living for.
"Some men fight because they love fighting. Others fight because they love what they are defending. With the former, we find malice and cruelty. With the latter, the attitude is chivalric. But chivalry in conflict is not pacifism, and it is not weak sisterism. The Christian faith does not require us to send off Little Bo Peep to slay the dragon. At the same time, the need for fighters does not ever justify thuggery, and the fact that Christian gentlemen must sometimes fight should not keep them from hitting hard. But how they hit is important." — Douglas Wilson, Warriors Not Thugs
Life is a fight. To be a Christian, you must fight the world, the flesh, and the devil. If you do not oppose them, you will be overcome by them. They certainly will not settle for a ceasefire against you. They will not declare, "peace" where there is no peace. They may say so, but only to get you to drop your weapons.
"This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man; yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part; whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh." — Westminster Confession of Faith, 13.2
The good life is the good fight. There are few things more miserable than making peace with evil. It never keeps its treaty. You cannot draw a boundary line, shake hands with wickedness, and expect it to honor the conditions. It will always encroach. It will always break it words. It is evil. What did you expect?
There is no such thing as a cease fire and those who set their hopes on one live a life of relentless disappointment. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire realized is like a tree of life.
1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.
Those who fight are often given the joy of landing a blow and are even given the more miraculous joy of being grateful for getting knocked down in the course of fighting the good fight. We fight for peace, but we can enjoy the fight while it lasts, but only if peace is our end game.
Isaiah 2:4
He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
The goal should be to be done with weapons, but not to lay them down before that time.
"It is absolutely essential for boys to play with wooden swords and plastic guns. Boys have a deep need to have something to defend, something to represent in battle. And to beat the spears into pruning hooks prematurely, before the war is over, will leave you fighting the dragon with a pruning hook” — Douglas Wilson, Future Men
We must fight until the fighting is done. We must fight for peace until we have peace.
"We need a theology of fist fighting... A time will come when spears are beaten into pruning hooks. A time will come when men no longer study war. This is the end result of the Gospel's fruitfulness in the world. But until the time when men will learn war no more, they must still learn it." — Douglas Wilson, Future Men
Wage peace.
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